Dies for making articles from sheet metal.



'1. DE GAETA.

DIES FOR MAKING ARTICLES FROM SHEET METAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29. 1915.

1 ,1 61 ,8Q& Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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DIES FOR MAKING ARTICLES FROM SHEET METAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.29,19I5- Patented N Ofv, 23, 1915.

3 SHE'HSSHEET 2.

J. DE GAETA.

DIES FOR MAKING ARTICLES FROM SHEET METAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29. 1915.

1,161,612. Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

3 SHEETS--SHEET 3- COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH COHWASHINUTONI I) C.

Y .rosnrn DE GAE'IA, or new YORK, N. Y.

DIES FOR MAKING ARTICLES FROM SHEET METAL.

Specification of Iietters Patent.

- Patented Nov. 23, 19115.

Application filed. March 29, 1915. Serial No. 17,640.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH DE 'GAETA, a subject of the King of Italy,and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and city andState of New York, (having declared my intention of becoming a citizenof the United States,) have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Dies for Making Articles from Sheet Metal, of which the following isa specification.

My improvements are applicable for use in the manufacture of variousarticles from sheet metal blanks, but are designed more particularly inthe present case for, and are herein shown and described as adapted to,the making of corner shields for trunks, boxes, and the like, whereangular parts are to be protected and reinforced against'the exigenciesof rough usage and contact with extraneous objects.

The main object of the invention is the production of the articledesired in a cheaper and more effective manner than theretofore,-theproduct being more perfect and symmetrical in shape, and involving theexpenditure of less than one fourth in time, labor and manipulationheretofore involved.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of partshereinafter described and claimed specifically, whereby the sheet metalfor each cap or corner shield is first partially drawn into shapecentrally, then perforated to form the attachment holes, then severedfrom the sheet, and then finally fully drawn and stamped into perfectshape,all these operations being conducted simultaneously in a singlepress, so that, after the first three preliminary strokes of the plungerand male dies, a perfect corner shield is produced at each stroke of thepress.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a side elevation of a powerpress embodying my improvements; Fig.2, a perspective view of cap orcorner shield; Fig. 3, is a diagrammatic representation in series of thesuccessive steps involved in the production of the corner shieldaccording to my method; Fig. 4, a top view of the shield piece assevered from the sheet metal blank preparatory to being subjected to theaction of the finishing dies; Fig. '5, is a top view on a reduced scaleof the finished corner shield; Fig. 6, is a top View of the gang offemale dies; F ig. 7, a sectional elevation taken mainly on line 'Z '7Fig. 6; Fig. 8, is a sectional elevation of the gang of male dles; Fig.9, a view of the undersidethereof.

P, represents a power press of any ordinary or desired construction, 79,indicating the reciprocatory plunger to which the gang M, of positive ormale dies are rigidly se cured, and p, the usual bed upon which the gangof negative or female dies N, are mounted.

The product desired in the present case is shown in Fig. 2,,-2'. e., acap or shield S, to be applied to a corner of a trunk, suit case, box,or rectangular receptacle of any kind. These shields have heretoforebeen made by five separate and distinct manipulations. First, a disk waspunched out of a sheet metal blank, and then the cap was struck up at asingle blow in a die press, the metal suffering severe strain in thesingle drawing,

resulting in cracking of the apex, puckering of the sides andparticularly of the edges of the cap. Next, the three attachment holes8, s, s, for rivets or other means of securing the shield in place foruse, were separately punched, thus, as before stated, involving fivedistinct operations,the time and labor involved being the principalfactor in the cost of the article produced. As millions of these trunkcorner caps or shields are inade and used every year, even a slightsaving in cost of manufacture is an important consideration; and anotherdesideratum is the production of a cap or shield with side wallsperfectly smooth and unpuckered, and of-uniform surface. This Iaccomplish by my method and apparatus in such manner that a perfectshield cap is formed at each stroke of the press after the sheet metalblank has been fed into the-apparatus by the preliminary steps. Thus inFig. 8, 0, represents the end of a blank ribbon of sheet metal be forebeing fed to the dies; 1, the result of the first feed step; 2, theresult of the second; 3, the result of the third; and 4, the result ofthe fourth, representing of course four reciprocations of the plungerand male dies.

The first operation on the sheet metal strip 0, is the formation of thecentral or incipient depression 8, which draws or upsets the metal forapproximately one half (more or less) of the final depth of the cupshown in Figs. 2, and 5. The next operation punches the three holes 8,s, s, simultaneously; and the next severs the disk, shown Fig. 4, fromthe sheet metal blank 0,

leaving the hole and scrap This partially cupped and perforated diskshown in Q Fig. l, then drops by gravity into-position to be acted uponby the finishing dies, from which the finished product'is projected inthe form shown in Figs. 2', and 5,this final operation having completedthe cupping of the whole disk severed from the sheet metal blank 0. Itis thus obvious that if a long sheet metal blank ribbon 0, is used (andthere is nolimit in this respect other than that of the length of theribbon that can be produced for'the purpose) after the thirdintermittentfeed step, a complete shield S, will result from each successive strokeof the plunger and male dies M. In

drawings the preliminary male die in, the

punches m, and the disk cutting die 472?, are arranged in alinement inthe platen m m, while the finishing die m is mounted in a rear extensionm, of the platen m m representing the platen stem by which the platen issecured to the reciprocating plunger p, of the press. By reference toFig. 9,

in whichthis stem m is shown in dotted lines it-will be seen that itoccupies a medial position between the finishing die and the alinementof the preceding dies, so that all are adequately supported. Incoinciding manner and arrangement the gang N, of female dies arepositioned in the negative die plates a n ,,.which are supported uponthe press bed 7). That is to say the preliminary die n, the perforatingdie n, and the disk cutting die 71?, (see Fig. 7,) are arranged inalinement in the plates a 92-, while the finishing die n is at the rear,connected with the disk-cutting die W, by the gravity guide ways of,extending rearward and. downward from the diebase plate a.

The platen consists of the upper plate m integral with the stem m andthe lower platem on which the'dies and punch m, m, m m are directlymounted. The preliminary die m is rigidly secured to the plate m, by aset screw a, and is surrounded byja stripper ring a, between which andthe saidv plate m is interposed an elastic resilient cushion. a9,preferably although not necessarily of rubber (see Fig. 8,). Thisstripper a, holds the sheet metal blank down against the bed plate n,when the plunger ;19, isdepressed'. It is suspendedv on screws a theshanks of which act as supporting. guides freeto slide in the plates mm, as the elastic-resilient cushion a yields or expands.

The-punches m which form the attachment holes 8, of the corner shield S,are mounted in thelower plate m, and held in place in their sockets bythe upper plate on, of the platen. The disk-cutting die m ,is secured tothe lower plate mi, by the set screw 1); and the finishing die m, to theextension m of the plate on, by the set screw 0. These or any other wellknown or suitable means of mounting the male dies in the platen may beresorted to as may be found most expedient, as I do not limit myself tothese minor details of construction. Similarly the mounting and supportof the female dies 72-, a, M, and n may be effected in any desired andwell known manner. As shown in the accompanying drawings, the said diesare formed in the die plates 17, 01, which are held in place on the baseplate a, by means of screw bolts d, d, at, two of which serve to securethe cap plate at, to the die plate n1, in which the perforating die a,and disk cutting die n are formed. The preliminary mortise die n,conforms of course to the shape of the male die m; and it is providedwith an ejector e, of well known character which raises the blank out ofthe socket as the male die m, recedes. A similar ejector c, is used inconnection with the finishing die mortise a The intermediate mortiseperforating die n, is formed with the triangular recess 72 toaccommodate the incipient draw of the metal blank effected in thepreliminary dies m, n, as well aswith the holes n", n 112, two of whichare shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7 for the accommodation of the punchesm, these holes 12*, extending through both the stripping plate 65 andthe negative die plates n, and n3 so as to discharge the small diskspunched from the blank in the formation of the attaching holes 8, s, s,of the corner shield S. The cap plate (Z is formed with coincidentperforations d", for the passage of the punches m, as Well as withtriangular openings n coinciding with triangular recesses 01/, in thedie plate at.

The cylindrical recess of the disk-cutting die 11?, extends through thebed plate n, and through the upper portion of the bed plate a, as shownin Fig. 7, thus leading the severed disk to the guide ways n n, whichextend through and from the base plate at, to the female finishing dien. The cap plate 03 is formed with a circular opening a, coinciding withthe die opening n below so as to admit of the passage of the male die mThe cap plate d constitutes a stripping plate for the male dies n, and n9, g, are adjustable gages or stops arranged in conjunction with thefinishing die 11. to accurately centralize the blank ig. 4,) deliveredby the ways it. These gages 1,161,628 :1: ill

9, 9, may be supported in any suitable manner on stationary parts of theapparatus, and it is to be understood that the die n is also supportedon the bed of the press in a manner well known in the art.

h, 72?, N, are gage stops for positioning the end of the sheet metalblank 0, with relation to the female dies.

71/, and W, are used only in starting the blank 0, through the press.They each consist of a pin retracted normally by a spring. By pressingin theistop h, temporarily the edge of the blank may be gaged for thedies m, n, and released after the stroke of the plunger, when the stopit, will be retracted automatically upon release, so as to be out of theway of the further and continuous feed of the blank 0-. In like mannerthe gage pin 7?, may be manipulated with relation to the dies m, n. Ihestop h is permanent in position, first acting as a stop for the frontedge of the sheet'metal blank in the preliminary feed and then as a stopfor the corresponding inner edge of each hole 0, as the feed of theblank 0, is continued. Any other desired or equivalent means of gagingthe feed of the sheet metal blank 0, may be substituted if preferred,the means herein shown being only illustrative of the func tionperformed.

It will be noted that by my apparatus and method of treatment thecoupling of the metal is effected only in part by the first dies; theattachment holes are next formed simultaneously in portions of the blanksheet still on the flat, and the disk of the proper size then severedfrom the sheet, producing a flanged blank like that shown in Fig. 4,with the attachment holes a, in the flat flanged portion. Hence thefinishing dies perform only the function of bringing the flange portionof the blank Fig. 4, into alinement with the side walls of thedepression 8, formed by the preliminary dies m, n, as hereinbefore setforth. Owing to this step by step evolution of the product, theresultant corner shield is free from pucker, corrugation or irregularityof any kind, the surfaces being perfectly even and smooth. Incidentallyattention may be called to the fact that by forming the attachment holes8, in the flat portion of the sheet metal blank I am enabled to formthem simultaneously and thus eliminate two operations and manipulationsheretofore involved in the manufacture of such corner shields. And as,after the front edge of the sheet metal blank has reached and passed thestop b the continuous feed and operation of the press produces a perfectcorner shield at each reciprocation of the press the economy effected inthe cost of manufacture is obvious. It is also obvious that this pressand method is applicable to the manufacture from sheet metal of otherarticles similar in character and requirements of treatment, so that Ido not limit myself strictly to the production of corner shields, adistinctive feature of my invention being that I accomplish in onemachine and practically in one feed (after start) and manipulationresults that have heretofore necessitated the use of four separatemachines,4l. 6., a cupping machine, and three punching machines to keepup with the production of the cupping machine; and there are other linesof manufacture of sheet metal articles in which equivalent results maybe attained by the utilization of the essential features of myinvention. Hence,

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. In a power press of the character designated, the combination of aseries of male and female dies comprising preliminary upsetting dies,perforating dies, and disk cutting dies arranged in alinement, andfinishing dies positioned at the rear of the disk cutting dies andconnected therewith by gravity guideways.

2. In a power press of the character designated, the combination of aseries of male and female dies mounted at an angle and comprisingpreliminary upsetting dies, perforating dies, and disk cutting diesarranged in alinement, and finishing dies positioned at the rear of thedisk cutting dies and connected therewith by inclined ways, for thepurpose described.

3. In a power press of the character designated, in combination, aseries of male and female dies set at an inclination and comprisingpreliminary upsetting dies, perfo- JOSEPH DE GAETA.

Witnesses:

Gno. l/VM. MIATT, DOROTHY MIATT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

